The present invention relates to a new and novel Peach Tree which has been denominated varietally as "Fancy Lady" and more particularly to a peach tree which produces fruit that have an attractive orange-red skin color and which further ripen for commercial harvesting and shipment approximately the same time of the season as the fruit produced by the Redtop Peach Tree (believed unpatented), and approximately one month earlier than the Sparkle Peach Tree (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 3,298) from which it was derived as a chance mutation. The Peach Tree "Fancy Lady" is further distinguished from the above-identified varieties and characterized principally as to novelty by bearing fruit which are more highly colored than that produced by the Redtop variety of peach tree and which further produces fruit which have a much more distinctive and symmetrical shape than that produced by the Sparkle variety of peach tree, the fruit of the instant variety having a balanced and pleasant flavor as well as noteworthy storage characteristics.
The Sparkle Peach Tree (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 3,298) is well known as a highly productive producer of midseason peaches, the fruit of the Sparkle Peach Tree characterized principally by fruit which may display a very rough, calloused fruit suture and which further characteristically displays an asymmetrical fruit shape. More particularly, the fruit of the Sparkle variety of Peach Tree may appear quite asymmetrical with one-half of the fruit becoming substantially larger than the other half. The fruit of the Sparkle Peach Tree become ripe for harvesting and shipment during the third and fourth week of July in the San Joaquin Valley of central California.
It has long been recognized that it would be desirable to have a peach tree that somewhat remotely resembles the Sparkle variety of Peach Tree (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 3,298) but which is ripe for commercial harvesting and shipment approximately one month earlier than the Sparkle Peach Tree and at approximately the same time of the season as the Redtop Peach Tree (believed unpatented), whereby the demand for such a fruit may be effectively satisfied over a longer period of time. Moreover, the "Fancy Lady" variety of peach tree produces fruit which are more highly colored and more symmetrical in shape than the fruit produced by the Sparkle Peach Tree and further has an attractive orange-red skin color and a balanced and pleasant flavor.